


And They Were Roommates

by TheNameIsBritney



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Infidelity, M/M, Mutual Pining, Unresolved Romantic Tension, the boys are oblivious but they're so cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-08 14:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16431467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheNameIsBritney/pseuds/TheNameIsBritney
Summary: After an unfortunate turn of events, Roman finds himself in need of a new apartment and fast. What he finds instead is much more worth while.A Prinxiety Roommates AU!





	1. Chapter 1

“You’ll never guess what I’m about to do.”

Remy sighed as he listened to his best friend talking to him over the phone, touching up his make up in his vanity.

“What?”

From inside a cab, Roman grinned and gleefully bounced up and down.

* * *

“I’m going to surprise Jon at work!” He said excitedly, smiling apologetically at the driver who looked at him through the rearview mirror. He tended to get loud when he was excited. “I have a picnic basket full of his favourite food  _and_ a blanket! We’re gonna have a romantic lunch in his office.”

“Wow...you know when I said you had to try and be more spontaneous, this isn’t exactly what I meant, babe.” Remy said, smiling nonetheless and carefully taking a sip of his soda. 

Roman rolled his eyes as he moved to hold his phone between his ear and his shoulder, fiddling with his picnic blanket. 

“Well...I wanted to do something romantic. The school year starts in two weeks and I feel like he’s been stressed and...distant lately, so this is my chance!” Roman said, closing the basket with a flourish. He looked out the window and saw a familiar building roll up and he grinned. “I’ll call you back, Rem, I just got to Jon’s office. Bye!” 

“Good lu-” Before Remy could finish his sentiment, Roman had hung up. Remy sighed and shook his head before putting his phone down and going to get ready for his shoot.

Roman paid the cabbie (and even gave him quite a generous tip) and exited the cab gracefully, brushing down his khaki pants and his button up. He couldn’t look anything  _other_  than perfect. 

He walked into Jon’s building and smiled gleefully, nodding at the doorman who gave him a smile and a wave in response. As he entered the lift, he couldn’t stop himself from humming along to the elevator music.

He had to be honest, he and Jon had been in a rough position for a while now. To Roman, it felt like Jon was distancing himself from their relationship. But that was all about to change today! Roman could feel hope and  _love_ swirling and spiralling through the air. 

The lift doors opened and he smiled, walking into the lobby and approaching the receptionist. 

“I’m here to see Jon Bradshaw? It’s Roman.” The receptionist lifted a hand to call Jon but Roman quickly shook his head. “Can you not call him? It’s a surprise!”

The receptionist shrugged uncaringly and waved him in the direction of Jon’s office. Roman walked through the hallways of cubicles and smiled as he got closer and closer to Jon’s office. He saw the desk that his secretary normally sat at was empty but he ignored it, guessing that Mateo was probably just on his lunch break.

He placed a hand on the doorknob to his boyfriend’s office and took a breath before pushing down and opening the door.

“Surpr-” 

The picnic basket fell to the ground and as it did, so did Roman’s jaw. Why? 

Because in front of him sat Jon at the edge of his desk, but he wasn’t alone. No, with him was Lindsay, his button-up undone and his arms around  _his boyfriends_  neck. They were both looking at him, looking like children who’d been caught sneaking cookies before dinner.

“R-Roman, I can explain!” Jon said hurriedly, pushing Mateo off of him. 

Roman simply stood there, his heart practically in pieces on the floor (along with the tupperware filled with Jon’s favourite sandwich). 

Jon took a step toward him and Roman took one step back, raising his hands in front of him.

“D-Don’t, I don’t want to see you ever again!” Roman exclaimed. He looked down at the basket on the floor and kicked it before turning and running out of Jon’s office and into the lift, furiously wiping the tears away from his eyes.

He ran out of the building, pushing past people as he did, before bursting out the doors and into the street. He leant up against the wall of the building and doubled over, one arm clutching his side and the other wiping at the tears in his eyes. 

Jon was cheating on him. With  _secretary_  no less, could you get anymore cliche?! Roman straightened up and sniffed, wiping his tear-covered hands on his pants sloppily. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, shakily dialing Remy.

* * *

“That son of a Bitch won’t know what hit him.” Remy said furiously, opening the door to his apartment and practically slamming the wall with the door in the process. Roman followed him into the apartment tiredly, closing the door and sitting on Remy’s couch. 

“Don’t...” Roman said quietly, resting his head in his hands. “It’s not a big deal, I’m sorry for calling you away from your photoshoot. I just didn’t know what to do.” 

Remy paused his angry pacing and walked over to the couch to sit next to Roman. He placed a hand on the middle of Roman’s back and began rubbing it slowly, pulling him closer so that he was resting against Remy’s shoulder. 

“Calm down, it’s fine. They barely needed me anyway.” Remy murmured, squeezing his shoulder. “You’re way more important to me.” 

Roman smiled at that and sighed softly, wiping his nose with his sleeve. 

“Thanks, Rem.” He mumbled, leaning back against the sofa cushions. “...Can I stay here tonight? I-I don’t wanna go back to the apartment. Everything is gonna remind me of Jon.” 

“Of course you can stay with me. You can stay with me as long as you need but starting tomorrow, we are going apartment hunting for you. We’ll look on craigslist for roommate listings.” Remy said defiantly, smiling kindly at his friend. “Now...ice cream and Dirty Dancing?” 

Roman smiled tearfully and nodded, watching as Remy got up to get the ice cream. 

Maybe he’d be okay.

* * *

“What about this one?” Remy asked, clicking on one of the many ‘ROOMMATE WANTED’ ads in the list.

**Roommate wanted for spacious loft apartment:**  
_3 males looking for 1 roommate. The apartment in question is spacious. Sun-soaked and beigey, large windows and lots of natural wood. The apartment comes furnished but the bedroom is unfurnished, save for a bed frame Rent is $570 a month, utilities not included._

_Contact logan.sanders@gmail.com for inquiries._

_Homophobes or racists need not apply._

There were a few pictures attached of a large looking loft with wooden floors and exposed brick walls. The furniture was mismatching but in an endearing way. Roman almost couldn’t believe it. It looked  _amazing_. 

“’Sun-soaked and beigey’?” Remy read, raising an eyebrow. “These guys sound-”

“Perfect. It sounds perfect, Rem.” Roman said breathily, scrolling through the pictures one more time. “I think I’m gonna send this guy an email.”

Remy eyed Roman skeptically before taking a sip of his iced coffee and shrugging.

“Okay, girl, you do you.” Remy replied, watching as Roman typed furiously. 

Roman barely heard him, focusing all his energy on typing out the perfect email. He couldn’t have these guys thinking he was weird or not roommate worthy. 

He could feel change in the air and he could not  _wait_ for it.

* * *

“...and then I walked into his office and found him with his secretary doing things that are...vastly inappropriate for an office setting. Then I called my best friend Remy, we went to my apartment, shoved a bunch of my things into a bag, and went to his place. And...now I’m here!” Roman let out huge breath as he finished his spiel, grinning at the three faces in front of him. He couldn’t gauge how well he was doing but he hoped he was doing alright.

“Sorry! My friends tell me I tend to be rather talkative. What was your question?” Roman asked, clasping his hands at his knees and smiling politely.

The one in the dark coloured hoodie who was leaning back against the couch (who looked slightly horrified at Roman’s tragic story) with his hands in his hoodie pockets raised his eyebrows. Roman remembered his name was Virgil.

“Uh...the question was what do you do?” He reiterated. Roman flushed and laughed sheepishly. 

“Oh! I’m a middle school drama and English teacher! Not  _quite_ the path I would’ve chosen for myself but I do love doing it!” Roman stood up and looked around the living room, smiling. “This place is beautiful! The windows...there’s so much light.”

He paused by a potted plant, glaring at it.

“Jon hated light.” Roman swallowed thickly, “It’s...hard to say his name.”

“Hey, Virgil can relate! He just got out of a relationshi-” Patton began to say before cutting himself off when Virgil nudged him roughly. “Ow!” 

Virgil looked down, directly avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room, shaking his head.

“I don’t know  _why_  we’re still talking about this! It was months ago, I’m fine! Let’s drop the subject.” Virgil said, running his hand through his hair and crossing his arms. 

The three men looked at one another silently before looking back at Roman. 

“I...I really wanna live here. It’s near the school where I work and the rent is way better than any other place I’ve looked at.” Roman said breathlessly. Virgil sighed and looked at Roman skeptically, narrowing his eyes.

“Hold on a second, we barely know anything about you.” Virgil said, raising an eyebrow. “We need to talk about this in more detail.” He looked between Patton and Logan and Logan nodded.

“I’m afraid Virgil’s right. Please excuse us for a moment, Roman, Patton, Virgil and I are just going to go into my room to talk.” Logan said, turning and walking into the hallway, Virgil and Patton following close behind. 

Roman watched them go, his nerves standing on every edge.

* * *

“So, what do you guys think?” Patton asked, clasping his hands together and grinning. “I like him! I think he’s the best roommate candidate we’ve seen so far. He’s nice and tidy and he said he was willing to pay for the first three months rent in advance!”

"Hm...I’m not so sure about him, Patton, I think he may be a little bit...out there.” Logan said, eyebrows furrowed. “He seems rather loud and you know how much I value quiet time.” 

Patton and Logan stared at one another before looking at Virgil who was staring at the two with wide eyes.

“Virgil, it looks like the decision is up to you.” Logan said, crossing his arms. Virgil sighed.

“Well...first, lemme say you guys make some...really good points. Points that I respect. I mean...on the one hand, he seems neat and  _normal_  which is more than I can say about Grady.” The three of them shared a collective shudder at the thought of their ex-roommate. “But on the other hand, Logan’s right, he seems extra and loud and that can be annoying.”

“Virgil, yes or no?” Patton asked. Virgil let out a nervous groan and shook his head, putting his hood up over his eyes.

“I don’t know...I don’t know, he...I guess...sure. He’s in.” Virgil groaned, dropping his arms, and sighing. “We can’t go another week without a fourth roommate, it’s getting expensive.” 

Logan sighed and nodded, patting Virgil’s shoulder. Patton clapped excitedly and exited the bedroom, finding Roman in the living room, inspecting the wide array of cookbooks in the kitchen.

“Roman, we’ve decided to let you room with us!” Patton said brightly, Roman whipped around and smiled widely. 

“Thank you guys, so much! You truly will not regret this.” Roman said excitedly. 

Roman caught Virgil’s eye and he smiled politely, trying not to think about how his obvious disinterest bothered him.


	2. Chapter 2

Virgil woke up to the sound of loud wails coming from the living room, his eyes springing open suddenly. The second he realised where he was and what was happening, he calmed down, groaning quietly and rolling onto his side. 

This had been a pretty consistent happening throughout the past couple of days since Roman had moved in. At first, Virgil felt sorry for Roman. He knew how hard break ups could be. He was a  _ mess _ when he broke up with...well, that didn’t really matter.

Now, it was just irritating. 

He slowly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, splashing some water on his face and beginning to brush his teeth. He saw Patton enter the bathroom as well, rubbing his eyes and yawning. 

“Morning, Virge.” Patton murmured, stretching whilst grabbing his own toothbrush. Virgil glared at him. “Did you sleep well?”

Virgil spat out the foamy toothpaste in his mouth and rinsed it out before looking at Patton incredulously. 

“No, Pat, I didn’t sleep well. You know why?” 

Patton turned to face Virgil, his eyebrows raised and mouth set in a concerned frown.

“Why?”

“Because I couldn’t sleep until 3am when Roman had finally tired himself out from crying.  _ And _ I couldn’t even sleep in because Roman’s sobs woke me up!” Virgil whispered angrily. Patton sighed and rubbed his forehead. 

“I-I’m sorry, Virgil, but...have a little sympathy here! You know what Roman must feel like, right?” Patton said gently, reaching out and patting his arm gently. “Roman is a good guy, you know he is. He’s just...going through a rough patch right now.”

Virgil shifted in place guiltily, sucking on his teeth and sighing. 

“Yeah, well...whatever. I’ll just wear my headphones to bed then.” Virgil mumbled, smiling when Patton gave him a dazzling grin. 

He walked out into the living room and saw Roman laid out on the couch watching the TV. There were used tissues crumpled up all around him and a fresh box of kleenex comfortably nestled in his arms. Virgil glanced at the TV and saw Dirty Dancing was playing on mute while Roman talked on the phone.

“Yeah...n-no Mom, I’m not watching Dirty Dancing!” Roman exclaimed, wiping his eyes and nose. “...No, I don’t think so.” At that, Roman glanced away from the screen and looked at Virgil who was pouring himself a mug of coffee in the kitchen. “Hey, are you gonna murder me because you’re a stranger I met on the internet?”

Virgil paused, mug halfway between the table and his lips. 

“Yes, I am.”

Roman rolled his eyes before turning back to the television screen.

“He says no.” Roman said, tossing his used tissue onto the carpet with it’s brothers. “No, look, I gotta go, okay? All right, I’ll talk to you later. Love you.” 

Roman sighed as he hung up the phone, glancing at the picture of him and Jon that was his wallpaper. He couldn’t bring himself to change it just yet. It felt too real. 

He heard Patton and Logan walk into the living room and he sat up, looking around at the mess he made. He cringed and began picking up all of his used tissues and threw them away in the bin. 

“Good morning, Roman!” Patton said happily, smiling sympathetically at him. “How are you doing?” 

Roman shrugged and sat at the breakfast bar, grabbing a banana from the bowl and peeling it slowly. 

“Um...I’ve been better.” He said, his voice gruff from hours upon hours of sobbing. 

As the other three began talking about their days, Roman picked at his banana. He still had a few more days before the school year started but he had left most of his things at Jon’s place. He and Remy had just shoved as much as they could into a few boxes and drove off before Jon got home from work. 

“Hey, guys?” Roman asked, looking up at them.

Logan, Patton, and Virgil all turned to look at Roman, varying degrees of emotions on their faces.

“Would it be okay if I borrowed a pair of pants from someone? And...maybe a shirt? I-I ran out of clean clothes and all my other stuff is at J-” Roman cut himself off before he said his ex-boyfriend’s name, knowing it would just cause the waterworks to start right back up again. 

Patton bit his lip. Logan fiddled with his tie uncomfortably. Virgil just looked away, hoping he wouldn’t get called on like a clueless student in a classroom.

“Well, uh...I’d love to lend you some of my stuff Roman but I’m afraid my pants won’t fit you! You’re a lot taller than me.” Patton replied, stirring his coffee slowly. “Um...Logan, what about you?” 

Logan looked at Roman who at this point just looked desperate. He stood up and nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. 

“I’ll see if I have anything I can lend you - though it won’t be anything flashy. I dress for function, not style.” Logan said, putting down his coffee and walking with Roman to his room. 

Virgil sighed when Roman and Logan left the room and Patton looked at him disapprovingly. 

“What?!” 

“Virgil, it wouldn’t kill you to be a little more...welcoming!” Patton said, “Please? If we’re going to be living together, I want Roman to feel comfortable here!” 

Virgil looked down at his coffee mug, watching the light brown liquid swirl around. 

“I...Fine! I’ll try harder.” Virgil said, taking a large gulp of coffee. “But I’m not signing up to be his bestest buddy.” 

Patton grinned. 

“That is all I ask!”

Not more than a few minutes later, Roman walked out wearing a dark coloured button-up and a pair of dark jeans. The shirt was clearly too tight for him but still didn’t complain.

“Thanks for lending me your things, Logan, it means a lot.” 

Logan nodded before returning to his place at the breakfast bar.

“The look isn’t quite complete without a necktie but...you insisted. It’s no problem.” Logan replied, turning his attention back onto Patton who began telling him a story about the kid he was taking care of at work.

Roman sat down next to Virgil at the breakfast bar and smiled at him, feeling slightly taken aback when Virgil actually smiled back before turning back to his breakfast. Roman pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw a text from Remy right up top. 

“Hey guys, my best friend is gonna come over in a couple of minutes to help me unpack. Is that alright?” Roman asked, looking at the three of them. Patton, Logan, and Virgil all agreed and Roman sent over an address.

**_Me to Remy *star emoji*, 11:32am:_ **

_ the guys say you can come over! 837 Traction ave.  _

**_Remy *star emoji* to Me, 11:32am:_ **

_ cool i’ll be there in 10 w coffee _

* * *

 

“Babe, you’ve been living with these guys for like 2 weeks without most of your stuff. You need to go to Jon’s and get your shit back!” Remy said, looking through the few boxes that Roman had in his room. “You’re missing your guitar, like  _ all _ of your winter clothes, and...basically everything.” 

Roman sighed and sat down on the bed, taking a sip of the iced black coffee Remy had brought him.

“I-I know that, it’s just...I don’t...I can’t face him yet.” Roman said quietly, “Not alone.” 

Remy sat down next to his best friend and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

“You won’t be alone, Ro. You have me.” Remy said, rubbing his shoulder gently. “And the other guys. I’m sure they’ll help you out.”

“Uh...not so sure about that.” Roman mumbled, rolling his eyes. “I don’t think they like me very much.” Remy frowned.

“Well, they’re gonna if I have anything to do about it.” Remy said, standing up and storming into the living room before Roman could protest.

“Shit, Remy, wait!” Roman said, standing up and running after him.

Virgil, Logan, and Patton were all sat on the couch, Virgil was on his computer whilst Logan read a book and Patton knitted. However, their peaceful silence was about to be disturbed

“Listen up you three,” Remy started, standing right in front of the TV. All three of them looked up, startled. “Roman needs to go get his stuff from his ex-boyfriend’s place and you guys are gonna come help us.” 

“Um...why?” Virgil asked, closing his laptop lid slowly. “Can’t you guys handle it yourselves?”

Remy rolled his eyes.

“Have you ever heard of ‘moral support’?” Remy asked, crossing his arms and eyeing Virgil up and down. “And besides, Roman has...a lot of stuff. It’s gonna take more than just two people if we wanna be in and out before the day’s over.”

Patton, Logan, and Virgil all looked between each other, thinking it over. 

“Well...I’d love to help! I’m not doing anything today.” Patton said, putting his knitting down and standing up. 

Logan sighed and stood up too.

“As will I.” 

Roman smiled at them gratefully before turning to Virgil who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. 

“Uh...I guess...I’ll drive?” Virgil offered, looking at Roman. Virgil was about to open his mouth to complain but Roman shot him a bright, dazzling grin and Virgil suddenly found himself lost for words.

“Thank you guys so much! I will pay you all back for this!” Roman said happily, grabbing Remy’s arm and beginning to walk out of the apartment.

Logan and Virgil shot each other a look as Patton surged forward to join them.

This was gonna be an eventful day.

* * *

 

Soon enough, they were all piled into Virgil’s car. Roman was sat up in the passenger’s seat with him as he drove so he could give directions. Virgil, for once, didn’t mind his presence. 

“So, um...you’re a bartender, right?” Roman asked, looking at Virgil who’s eyes were fixed responsibly on the road.

“Yup. Have been since college.” Virgil replied, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. “School teacher?”

Roman nodded and looked out the window at the passing houses. They were getting closer and closer to the life Roman had been forced to leave behind. Roman wasn’t sure if he was ready to face it. 

Virgil looked over at him for a moment, biting his lip when he saw Roman staring out the window sadly. 

“Hey, uh...it’ll...it’ll be okay.” Virgil mumbled, causing Roman to turn his head quickly.

“What?”

“I said you’ll be...I’ve been through what you’re going through before. It’s really rough but...you’ll get over it.” Virgil said, pointedly avoiding looking over in Roman’s direction. “I usually hate sappy, emotional stuff, but I just wanna let you know that the guys and I have your back.”

Virgil cleared his throat uncomfortably. He could feel Roman looking at him with those bright brown eyes of his. He could see in his peripheral vision the large smile he had on too. Virgil tried not to let that distract him.

“Thank you, Virgil, that means a lot.” Roman said quietly, looking back out the window at the road. He could see the house coming into view and he clenched his fist. Jon’s car was parked in the driveway. He was home. 

Virgil looked over at Roman. His posture had changed dramatically. He was now sitting up straight, eyebrows knitted deeply. His fists were clenched too. He looked back out the windshield and saw where Roman was looking and sighed.

“That the place?” 

Roman nodded and Virgil pulled up on the side of the road. The chatter from the backseat quieted down to a hush and they all looked at Roman.

“You okay, Ro?” Patton asked gently, placing a hand on Roman’s shoulder. 

Roman nodded stiffly and took a deep breath, his hand resting on the car door.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. I...I hate to ask but...could you guys come with me?” Roman asked quietly, his eyes fixed on the dashboard. 

Virgil looked at him and bit his lip, his hand itching to reach out to Roman.

“You didn’t even have to ask, Princey.” Virgil remarked with a smirk, opening the door and stepping out of the car. 

The others followed in suit, leaving Roman sat in the car by himself, a smile growing on his face. 

Roman took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping out of the car, catching up with the others. 

They reached Jon’s front door and stopped. 

“You ready?” Remy asked, reaching out to squeeze Roman’s arm. 

Roman nodded, looking back at Remy and smiling.

“Yeah.” 

Roman walked up to the front door, fists  _ and  _ jaw clenched. He reached the front door and knocked rapidly on it, jerking back in surprise when Jon answered the door immediately. 

“Jon, I’m here for-”

“Oh my God, Roman! I was so worried about you, I got home and your stuff was just...gone!” Jon said quickly, pulling Roman in for a tight hug. 

Roman startled, his eyes wide. He momentarily considered melting into Jon’s arms once again. It would be so easy to close his eyes and wrap his arms tightly around Jon’s waist just like he always used to. 

But then he remembered. All he could see was Jon with his arms wrapped around his secretary. All he could feel was anger and sadness and  _ heartbreak.  _

So instead, Roman lifted his arms and placed them on Jon’s chest, firmly pushing him away. Jon looked at him, his arms still held out awkwardly in front of him. 

“Roman, wha-”

“How  _ dare  _ you?! You cheated on me, Jon!” Roman exclaimed, “I’m just here to get the rest of my things.”

Jon sighed and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. Virgil could tell he didn’t like this guy already. 

“Roman, babe, we can talk about this!” Jon reached out to grab Roman’s hand but Virgil surged forward, grabbing Jon’s wrist and standing in front of Roman. His nerves were jumping around his skin and he had to stop himself from physically shaking but he tried to steel his expression.

“C’mon man, he doesn’t wanna talk. You heard him.” Virgil hoped the tremble in his voice wasn’t too noticeable. He let go of Jon’s hand and took a step back, standing by Roman’s side. 

“Who the hell are you?” Jon asked, crossing his arms and taking a step towards Virgil. 

Roman looked between Virgil and Jon and stepped in between them, staring at Jon.

“He’s my roommate, not that that is  _ any _ of your business. We’re over, Jon. Now  _ move  _ and let me get my stuff or I’ll move you.” Roman said, his jaw tense. 

Jon stared him down, taking a look at the four other men behind him. He swallowed thickly before stiffly moving to the side, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes.

“Whatever, just...don’t touch my snowglobes.” 

All five of them walked into the house, Roman leading the charge happily. As they all began to grab Roman’s things, Roman placed a hand on Virgil’s elbow and pulled him aside. 

“Hey, um...I just wanted to say...thank you. For standing up for me out there.” Roman said quietly, placing his hands in his pockets awkwardly. “You didn’t have to do that and yet...”

Virgil smiled bashfully, shrugging and looking away. 

“It’s...whatever. No prob. You would’ve done the same for me.” 

“Would I have?” Roman quipped with a smirk. Virgil rolled his eyes and shoved Roman’s shoulder back gently, shaking his head. 

“Shut up.” Virgil snorted, giving Roman one last smile before going to help Logan pick up Roman’s dresser.

Roman watched as Virgil walked away, smiling faintly and rubbing his shoulder.

Interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2!! i hope you guys liked the previous chapter! thanks to everyone who commented and reblogged on tumblr and gave kudos and stuff on ao3, it really means a lot!
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated! And if y'all wanna follow me on tumblr and read updates there, my url is @romanticsanders! 
> 
> \- Brit xx


	3. Chapter 3

Roman was  _not_  having an ideal morning. 

He’d slept through his first 3 alarms which meant he only had half an hour to get ready before he had to be in school for morning briefing - and if you knew Roman, you knew it took well over 30 minutes to reach the level of perfection he was happy having the world see. 

Roman stumbled out of bed groggily and walked to the bathroom, barely acknowledging Virgil who was brushing his teeth.

“Morning.” Virgil said, watching as Roman leaned against the second sink and groaned, his eyes half-lidded. He smirked. “Overslept?”

Roman simply nodded and opened the medicine cabinet, reaching for his toothbrush and beginning to brush his teeth.

They stood there together brushing their teeth in comfortable silence, Roman slowly feeling himself come alive the longer he glared at his own reflection. 

He spat and gargled and reached for his contact lens pot, opening it and placing it on the tap. As he reached into the cabinet to put his toothbrush away however, he knocked his contact lens pot to the ground, spilling the solution and his lenses on the floor. 

Virgil winced as he watched Roman take a deep breath, his fist clenched. 

“Do you uh…need some help?” Virgil asked, raising his eyebrows and turning to face Roman who simply (and silently) shook his head and walked out of the bathroom. 

So, yeah. Roman was not having a good start to the day.

* * *

A few minutes later, Roman stumbled out of his room, fidgeting with his messenger bag and keeping his head down. He’d had to return to his bedroom to get his glasses and when he’d looked at the clock, he’d realised he didn’t have enough time to do his usual rigorous skincare routine.

The students of Shady Creek would just have to put up with a dry-faced Mr. Kingsley today. 

He walked into the living room, uncomfortably fiddling with his glasses and walking to the counter to pour himself some coffee in his travel mug.

As he poured, he heard footsteps shuffle into the kitchen and he sighed, screwing the lid on tightly before turning around, seeing Virgil standing there - still in his pyjamas. 

“Morning, Virgil.” Roman said with a quiet sigh, forcing a smile. “I apologise if I seemed rude earlier in the bathroom but-”

“I get it. No apology necessary.” Virgil said, though he eyed Roman strangely. Roman shifted uncomfortably, tapping out a nonsensical tune on his travel mug.

“Uh…is something…wrong?” Roman asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. Virgil smiled and shook his head, his cheeks burning slightly. 

“No, nothing’s wrong, just…I’ve never seen you with glasses on before.” Virgil said, walking towards Roman to reach for the fruit bowl behind him. “I like it.”

Roman flushed bright red but a smile grew on his face. He cleared his throat and muttered a quiet ‘thank you’ before heading towards the front door, looking back once at Virgil who was no longer paying him any mind. 

He bit his lip before sighing and leaving the apartment, taking a moment to lean against the front door.

What the  _hell_ was that?

* * *

“… _then_ I spilled coffee all over my desk and had to re-print out 40 script passages for drama class.” Roman groaned, leaning back and smoothing out his face mask. Remy chuckled from his place next to Roman on his bed.

“M’sorry you had a shitty day, Ro.” Remy said, scrolling through Roman’s netflix queue and crossing his legs. “But at least you had something nice to come home to.”

“Yeah, I really needed this, thanks Rem.” Roman said, sighing softly and letting his eyes slip shut.

Remy laughed and shook his head.

“I don’t mean me, Roman, I  _mean_ your roommate Virgil! He’s real cute.” Remy said casually, “He totally likes you.”

Roman’s eyes shot open and he turned to face Remy who was still nonchalantly scrolling.

“Virgil?! Wh-what do you mean, he likes me?!” Roman exclaimed, though it was rather hard to move his mouth with the sheet mask covering most of his face. “I-I…We…he’s basically…He’s the Dr. Facilier to my Naveen! He absolutely does  _not_  like me.”

Remy paused his scrolling and looked at Roman incredulously.

“Girl.” Remy said, raising an eyebrow (though the effect was lost behind Remy’s mask). “Trust me, I’m an expert on things like this. He likes you. Have you heard the way he says your name?” 

Roman blushed as he thought about that morning when they’d bumped into each other in the bathroom. Virgil’s low and rough cadence saying his name made a shiver travel down his spine, he had to admit. 

“ _And_ you told me he thinks your glasses are cute. No offence, babe, but those glasses…I think my grandpa has a more modern pair.” Remy said, laughing and dodging out of the way when Roman tried to hit him with a pillow.

“They’re…vintage!” Roman defended, taking the sheet mask off and placing it in the bin beside his bed. He wiped the residual liquid off of his face with a towel and turned to face Remy, his hands on his hips. “And Virgil does  _not_  like me.”

Remy rolled his eyes. 

“Uh…yes, he does. Have you noticed whenever he looks at you his feet are always pointed directly at you?” Remy asked, continuing his search for an appropriate movie. “They say men’s feet point at the things they want. He wants you.” 

Roman nibbled on his lip and frowned, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion and concern. This couldn’t be happening. He  _just_ got out of a relationship and…Virgil was his roommate! They would never work. They were way too different…weren’t they?

Roman was startled out of his crisis by a short knock on the door. He turned to Remy and glared at him before getting up and opening it. 

When he opened the door, he jumped slightly, not expecting to see Virgil on the other side, eyebrows raised. Roman flushed bright red, looking down at his robe-clad body and reaching up to attempt to fix his messily tied back hair. 

“Virgil! Uh…what brings you to…my neck of the woods?” Roman asked, laughing tightly. Virgil furrowed his eyebrows and smirked. 

“Your ‘neck of the woods’?” Virgil asked, his eyes sparkling with mirth. Roman felt heat travelling up his neck and he cleared his throat, letting out yet another nervous laugh. He could feel Remy’s scrutinizing gaze on his back.

“Well, uh…yes, this is my room, so…my…neck.” Roman stammered, cursing mentally. Four years studying theatre in college and he couldn’t even act  _normal_ in front of the guy he lik-lived with? 

“…Okay…” Virgil said slowly, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking behind Roman at Remy who offered him a peace sign before seemingly returning to Roman’s screen. “Anyway, I was gonna go to the drug store. I wanted to see if you needed anything.” 

“Oh, I’m fi-”

“Yes! Roman, you were telling me about that  _thing_  you needed to get, remember?” Remy chimed in from Roman’s bed. Roman whipped around and glared at him. “Roman can go with you, Virgil!” 

Virgil looked between the two of them confusedly, before nodding. 

“Uh…okay. I’ll wait in the living room then.” Virgil said before retreating to the living room, leaving Roman and Remy alone once again.

Roman shut the door and turned to Remy who was smiling mischievously. 

“What did you do that for?!” Roman hissed, throwing one of his slippers at Remy who dodged. 

“I got you some quality time with your future boyfriend! You’re welcome.” Remy said with a grin, peeling off his mask as well. 

Roman sputtered before falling silent and retreating into his closet to get dressed, leaving Remy smiling to himself victoriously.

* * *

…Something was wrong. How could Virgil tell, you may ask? Well, for one, Roman was being…silent. 

As in not speaking. 

Roman Kingsley.

Was not talking or singing or making any sort of sound.

Weird. 

“So, uh…how was school?” Virgil asked, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel rhythmically. Roman shrugged, keeping his gaze firmly fixed outside the window.

“Fine. Good.” Roman said, his leg moving up and down vigorously. Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God.

They fell into silence again, both of them only listening to the ambient sounds of the road and cars all around them.

Virgil’s eyes flickered from Roman’s shaking leg, to his tense shoulders, to his set jawline. He felt a sense of dread settle over him, heavy like a blanket. Had he done something wrong? He thought they’d been getting along recently. Maybe he was making that all up in his head…

As soon as Virgil parked his car outside the drug store, Roman made a point to immediately get out, stumbling out of the car and beginning to walk quickly inside. Virgil furrowed his eyebrows and quickly got out as well.

“Roman, wait up!” Virgil called, jogging lightly towards his roommate and catching up with him. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird all day.”

Roman turned to him, his eyes wide. 

“What? Weird? Me? Ha!” Roman said quickly, his face flushing. He cleared his throat and looked down at their feet. 

Virgil’s feet were pointing straight at him. Shit!

Roman cleared his throat once more and moved to Virgil’s other side, watching in horror as Virgil (and his feet) followed him. 

“I need coffee! I’ll meet you inside.” Roman shouted suddenly, eyeing the coffee shop across the street. Before Virgil could get a word in edgewise, Roman was running out of the carpark and across the street. 

Virgil watched him, eyebrows raised. Was it something he’d said?

Roman ran into the coffee shop and stopped to take a breath, pulling out his phone and texting Remy.

**_Me to Remy *star emoji*, 4:34pm:_ **

_:(_

**_Me to Remy *star emoji*, 4:34pm:_ **

_Remy SOS I think you were right_

**_Me to Remy *star emoji*, 4:34pm:_ **

_HIS FEET WERE POINTED AT ME THE ENTIRE TIME!!!_

_**Remy *star emoji* to Me, 4:34pm:** _

_okay first of all im always right so jot that down_

_**Remy *star emoji* to Me, 4:34pm:** _

_second of all would it be so bad if he did like u_

**_Remy *star emoji* to Me, 4:34pm:_ **

_roman?_

Would it be so bad if Virgil liked him? 

Roman supposed…Virgil was rather nice and quite handsome - even at 3am when he was lounging on the couch scrolling through tumblr in his trademark hoodie and jeans. 

There could be worse things than a relationship with Virgil. Sure, they didn’t have  _everything_ in common but perhaps that could just help the excitement of it all. 

Roman got in line and ordered two drinks, his mind still up in the clouds as he thought about Virgil. 

* * *

Virgil was in the shampoo aisle trying to choose between two different types of conditioner when Roman approached him, two coffee cups in hand and a guilty smile on his face. 

“Virgil, I uh…I wanted to apologise.” Roman said sheepishly. “I was acting strange earlier because…well it doesn’t matter. I bought you a coffee to make up for it. It’s a gingerbread latte.”

Virgil gave Roman a soft smile and placed one bottle of conditioner in his basket, taking the cup from Roman’s hands. He breathed in the sweet smell of ginger and coffee and sighed. 

“Thank you, Roman, I…it’s fine. Are you feeling better?” Virgil asked, taking a slow sip of his coffee. 

Roman let his eyes flicker down to Virgil’s Adam’s apple briefly as he drank but looked back up into his roommates curious eyes. He smiled and nodded. 

“Yes. I definitely am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no this update took way longer than i expected AH I'M SORRY!! 
> 
> i hope y'all like this anyway!
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated and if y'all want to pls follow me on tumblr before we all get wiped out @romanticsanders!
> 
> \- Brit xx

**Author's Note:**

> "so brit you just finished a long multichapter, what are you gonna do now?” “...start writing another one” 
> 
> this is basically because i watched all of new girl and became obsessed with it so i decided to write a prinxiety fic based around it!
> 
> comments and kudos are much appreciated! And I also upload every chapter on Tumblr so if you want to read it there, feel free to follow me @RomanticSanders or message me asking to be part of the taglist!


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